Georgia's Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Honored with D. Scott Hudgens Humanitarian Award

DULUTH, Ga. - Feb. 20, 2014 - PRLog -- Earlier this month, the Thomas P. Hughes Ballroom at Gwinnett Center played host to more than 1,000 business and community leaders during the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce’s 66th Annual Dinner. Presented by Gwinnett Medical Center, the event is designed to highlight Gwinnett’s successes and recognize those who have made a difference in the community in recent years. As the recipient of this year’s D. Scott Hudgens Humanitarian Award, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful was proud to be listed among them.

“Each year, the D. Scott Hudgens Humanitarian Award is presented to the charitable institution best embodying the spirit of compassion and generosity to which the late Scott Hudgens was so deeply committed,” explains Connie Wiggins, Executive Director of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful.  “It is such an unbelievable honor for our organization to receive an award that signifies that same sense of community and philanthropy for which Scott Hudgens and his family have always been dedicated. At Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, we do what we do each day in an effort to make Gwinnett County America’s cleanest, greenest and most livable community.  But we could never do that without the tireless conviction and dedication of our board members, volunteers, community partners and staff. This award belongs to us all.”

Over the course of 2013, the community-based, environmentally-focused non-profit organization accomplished the following feats with the help of its growing network of volunteers, community allies, and corporate partners:

·         Educated 111,095 students and trained 15,565 teachers in order to foster a new generation of environmental stewards

·         Raised the awareness and environmental knowledge of 395,989 Gwinnett County residents

·         Cleaned 720 miles and 220 places throughout Gwinnett County

·         Recovered 14,000,000 pounds of recyclables

·         Provided 280,000 volunteer hours for recycling and beautification projects

In addition to this recent recognition by the Gwinnett Chamber, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful was recently named as one of Keep America Beautiful’s top affiliates – not only in Georgia, but in the nation; honored as a sustaining member of the Keep America Beautiful President’s Circle; and recognized as one of the first Governor’s Circle Honorees. Of course, Connie Wiggins - Executive Director for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful is not one to rest on her laurels. She looks ahead to the coming months with great excitement.

“We’ve already hit the ground running in 2014,” insists Wiggins. “We recently had the pleasure of honoring environmental stewards and our cherished volunteers during the 34th Annual Awards Dinner. We just hosted one of the largest Christmas tree recycling events where we were responsible for an estimated 1 out of every 5 trees recycled in the state of Georgia. And now, we are feverishly planning for what will likely be our biggest event for the year – the Environmental Address on March 6 featuring Governor Nathan Deal.”

Beyond the Address, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful will also play host to a county-wide Great American Cleanup event – which runs March 1 through May 31, 2014, and the annual America Recycles Day in the Fall. Additional beautification projects and events will be scheduled throughout the year, and citizens who wish to take part are encouraged to check the event calendar regularly for upcoming dates. In addition to events, the organization is hoping to unveil a new website to better communicate its mission to educate, advocate and equip the residents and business owners of Gwinnett County.

To purchase tickets to the upcoming Environmental Address at Gwinnett Center on March 6, interested parties are encouraged to visit www.GwinnettCB.org.

About Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful:  Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Services, Inc. (GCB) is an award-winning 501(c)3 charitable organization that boasts an expansive community-based network dedicated to finding long term solutions to environmental and quality of life issues through individual action. The organization is guided by a 55-member Citizens Advisory Board that represents all sectors of the Gwinnett County community. A nationally recognized leader in creating cleaner, greener and more livable communities throughout Gwinnett, GCB involves more than 100,000 volunteers annually to offer Litter & Graffiti Prevention Programs, Recycling/Waste Reduction Services, and Environmental Education Programs. For more information, please visit www.GwinnettCB.org.